Closure of Clare LES

11 Feb 2004

The Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed is deeply concerned at the continuing crisis surrounding the Clare Local Employment Service. Our primary concern is for unemployed people in Clare who have been deprived of this service.

Since its establishment in 1996, the LES throughout the country has proved itself to be a very valuable service for long term unemployed people seeking to chart a route back into the open labour market. The combination of personalised mediation, confidentiality and other supports has been shown to be a very successful formula for enabling people who have been out of the labour market for a long time to gain the confidence to seek employment and a better quality of life. The denial of this service to people in Clare for whatever reason is a matter of deep regret.

Following a meeting between Minister Fahey and a broad-based delegation from the county, it was expected that a senior FAS official would undertake a speedy review of the situation. The INOU is calling for this review to be carried out as a matter of urgency. It is surely not acceptable that this serious situation should be left to drift on indefinitely.